French Canadian bass Joseph Rouleau is the epitome of the
operatic evergreen. Born in 1929 in Matane, Quebec, Rouleau's career began in
1950. Now 84, he is still singing! In an interview he gave for the CBC
last year, Rouleau explains the secret of his longevity - Link. Here is a
previously unreleased 1972 live performance on Radio-Canada of Russian arias.
Eight arias from Prince Igor to Eugene Onegin representing the
heart of the repertoire, all sung with rich tone, impressive power and vivid
expression, with the kind of gravitas that only the great basso profondo
voices can summon. The low notes in the aria from Iolanta will send
chills down your spine. Rouleau is a great Verdian - an unforgettable King
Philip - but many think that he's born to sing the Russian repertoire. For this
review, I consulted an opera expert who is also a native Russian speaker, and
he confirms that Rouleau's Russian is exemplary. He also points out an oddity -
Dosifei's aria from Khovanshchina with piano ( a track from the BBC) is sung in
very Russian-sounding English! It's a pity that the CD is only 39 minutes
long, but one is compensated by the inclusion of a DVD bonus of Death of Boris
from 1983. If there is a criticism, it is the insufficient documentation - the
conductor of the 1972 performance, Jean Deslauriers, is only mentioned in small
print in the liner notes, absolutely no mention of fellow artists in the Death
of Boris video. The audio and video are vintage 1970's. The booklet has a short
bio and an equally short article. No text or translations. A must-have for fans
of Rouleau and lovers of the bass voice. JOSEPH K SO

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La Scena Musicale is a monthly Canadian classical, opera, jazz and world music magazine published in English and French by La Scène musicale/The Music Scene, a non-profit charity dedicated to the promotion of music and the arts. La Scena Musicale's award-winning website SCENA.org has been a world leader of classical music and arts news since 1996. The LSM Blog is the place for commentary and news on music and the arts in Canada and around the world. Publisher: Wah Keung Chan; ISSN 1925-9700